Blind Car, Lame Human
by Darkwraith
Summary: When a lonely blind car meets a lonely lame human, they both find the family they'd been looking for in each other. Together, they set out to find a place where they belong.
1. Two Worlds, Two Lives

**Disclaimer: **All easily recognizable characters belong to Disney/Pixar.

**Two Worlds, Two Lives**

Karen Snowby sighed as she limped towards the front steps of Northside Middle School. '_Another day, another nightmare,' _she thought unhappily. She'd never been very popular, even before the accident, but now, her life was absolutely miserable. A group of older kids looked in her direction as she started to struggle up the stone steps that led to the front doors of the school. "Hey look!," one of the eighth graders said, "there's Karen-with-the-cane!" The others in the group laughed appreciatively at his cruel joke. Karen ignored the group as she worked her way up the stairs and through the front door. She headed towards her first class, grateful for once that she had study hall first period. Karen always sat in the back of the class with her left leg sticking out to one side, and today was no exception. After the teacher called the class to order, Karen pulled her math book out of her backpack. Flipping it open to a random page, she laid it on her desk and pretended to study it. Instead of studying math, Karen thought about the accident that had changed her life:

_Ever since learning to ice skate at the age of five, Karen had participated in figure skating competitions. Now at the age of thirteen, she'd won various awards, and was considered one of the best figure skaters in her age group. Her dream of becoming one of the youngest, if not the youngest, girls to compete in the Olympics, was just within her reach. She thought about her dream as she prepared herself physically and mentally for her next competition. There were judges and talent scouts sitting in the audience. _'If I do well enough tonight,'_ she thought excitedly, _'then maybe I'll be chosen to participate in the next Winter Olympics.' _Karen took several deep breaths to steady herself as the first competitor glided into the ring. Karen was forth in line in this competition. _'This girl won't be a threat to me,'_ she thought as she watched the first girl perform her routine. She was obviously fairly new to the sport, and she seemed timid and nervous. The second girl, on the other hand, was a veteran to ice skating, like Karen. The third girl was also very good, but she lost her balance and almost fell, which pretty much ruined her chances of winning. Then it was Karen's turn. She skated her heart out, but near the end of her turn, something went very wrong. Jumping gracefully, she spun nine times in mid-air, planning on landing on her right toe, still spinning. But, when she landed, her skate got caught in the ice, and she came down hard on her left knee. Karen heard the horrible sound of bone breaking and felt excruciating pain in her knee. She lay helplessly on the ice as the other competitors, her trainer, and the judges of the competition raced to her side. They were saying things to her and amongst themselves, but she couldn't focus on anything but the unbearable agony. She didn't know how long she'd been down when the paramedics arrived. They quickly checked her out and placed her on the stretcher and wheeled her out of the arena and into the waiting ambulance. Then they rushed her to the nearest hospital, where she was quickly taken into radiology for x-rays followed by emergency surgery._

_When she woke up in a private room, her parents were standing over her looking sad. She wanted to ask them why they seemed so sad, but before she could speak, they told her to get some rest and that they would talk in the morning. The next morning, after breakfast, the doctor came in to discuss things with Karen and her parents. He told her that her left knee had been shattered beyond repair, and that she would need to undergo further operations if she was to have a chance to walk again. Karen asked if there was a chance that she'd ever skate again, but all he said was that it was too soon to tell. _

_Three operations, and a lot of painful physical therapy later, they told Karen that not only would she never skate again, but she'd always have to walk with a cane. Karen was absolutely heartbroken. Her only dream was to be in the Olympics, but now that dream had been cruelly taken away from her. _

Karen sighed. It had been six months since the accident, and her life had steadily gone downhill. She'd become suicidal after the accident. Even her fourteenth birthday last month was depressing. The loss of her dream had been more than bad enough, but now she also had to endure the endless teasing and tormenting of her classmates and the new relationship with her parents. Before the accident, her and parents had been close, but now they were cold and distant with her. Sometimes she thought that her parents had only loved her for the fame they'd thought she'd achieve some day. '_Sometimes, I think I'd be far better off dead,'_ she thought sadly, _'I bet no one else has as many troubles as I do.' _

Meanwhile, in another world, a young sedan named Nora Lowrider was wishing that she could find a cliff to drive off of. Her parents were in the other room, arguing about what to do with her. Nora sighed. _'It's not like I _asked_ to be born blind,'_ she thought unhappily. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the shouts coming from the next room.

"What are we going to do with that car!," Rod Lowrider yelled at his wife, "she can't even drive down the street without hitting something, unless someone's on her back bumper yelling at her to look out. We've spent I don't know how much money having her repaired after the last time she tried to go ten feet by herself. I wasn't planning on this when I agreed to have a kid!" Dorthy Lowrider simply stared at the ground during her husband's tirade. "I know, hon," she replied, "I wasn't expecting to be raising a blind car either, but I don't know what to do. We can't just put her on the street. She'd never survive on her own." The white Cadillac stared down her bright orange Ford F250 truck husband. Rod sighed. "Maybe we should put her in an institution or something," he said.

Nora felt her oil pressure spike when she heard her father's words. An institution! He wanted to put her in an institution! She'd always thought that he didn't care for her, and now, his cruel words proved it without a shadow of a doubt. _'Why couldn't I be normal?,' _she thought bitterly, _'why do I have to be different?' _Nora wished that she could leave, move beyond hearing distance of her parents' conversation, but she knew that was impossible, unless she wanted to risk body damage and hearing her father yell again. She remembered all too well how he flipped out the last time she'd tried to go anywhere by herself. Rod had been outraged by the repair costs. He'd yelled at her for a full hour, before his anger ebbed. There was no way that she would risk going through that again if she could help it. So she stayed parked where she was and tried not to listen to her parents.

"What if she doesn't like being institutionalized?," Dorthy said meekly, knowing that she was just wasting her time. It was very clear that Rod had made up his mind about Nora. "That's not our problem, Dorthy," Rod said, "I've made up my mind. Tomorrow we're taking Nora to the Institution for Young Cars in California." Dorthy Lowrider didn't argue. She just simply averted her eyes.

Nora couldn't believe her ears. The decision had been made. She was gonna be taken to an institution, after all. She sighed sadly. _'It would have been better if I'd never been born,' _she thought,_ 'I have far more problems than anyone anywhere else does.'_


	2. Abandonment and Encounter

A/N: Again, all recognizable characters belong to Disney/Pixar.

**Abandonment and Encounter**

Karen spent the rest of the school day positively hating her life. At lunch, she sat alone, listening to the lively conversations around her. _'If only I still had friends,'_ she thought sadly. Unfortunately, all her friends had abandoned her shortly after the accident. Karen couldn't help overhearing Sarah Horner, the most popular girl in school talk about her weekend shopping spree with her group of friends. Finally, after several minutes of listening to the fun Sarah had at the mall, Karen got up and left the lunch room. The afternoon seemed to drag on for Karen. Every minute seemed like an hour. Finally, the final bell rang, and all the kids except Karen jumped up excitedly. Karen just got up slowly and carefully, trying not to think about what waited for her at home. Ever since the doctor told her that she'd never skate again, her parents had become cold and distant, indifferent even, towards her. Sometimes Karen thought that her parents had only loved her for the fame she _should_ have achieved. She boarded her bus quietly, knowing that her parents would not be happy to see her.

Her arrival home didn't meet her low expectations. As soon as she stepped through the door, her parents glared at her. Ignoring them, she walked through the kitchen, heading towards her room. But before she made it out of the kitchen, her father told her to stop. Karen turned to face him, very surprised by the fact that he'd addressed her. "Karen," he said slowly, "You're mother and I have decided that the three of us need to take a family vacation. Go to your room and pack enough clothes to last you about a week. We're leaving early in the morning." "But what about school?" Karen said, shocked by the sudden announcement. "Don't worry about that," her mother said, "we've already made arrangements with the principle. He'll let you catch up with your classes when we get back." Karen nodded excitedly and headed for her room. _'A family vacation!,"_ she thought happily, _"maybe my parents are starting to care about me again." _As Karen shoved a bunch of her favorite clothes into her large backpack, thinking about the upcoming trip, she had no idea that her time with her parents was drawing short.

While Karen was enduring the long school day, Nora was parked in her room listening to her parents make arrangements for the upcoming trip to the institution. Rod had spent over an hour on the phone, trying to find a trailer to haul his blind daughter to California. So far, he wasn't having much success. "That's it!," he snarled to his wife, "we're gonna have to _guide_ her to the institution!" Dorthy looked at him sadly. "You do realize," she said quietly, "that she'll never make it to California, even with our guidance." Rod edged closer to her, knowing that Nora was listening. He didn't want her to hear his next words. "Of course I know that she'll never make it," he whispered quietly, "that's the plan. We'll take her a considerable distance into the middle of nowhere, and then, we'll tell her that's where we're spending the night. As soon as she's asleep, we'll just quietly slip away." Dorthy was shocked speechless. "But-but she'll never survive on her own!," she cried, horrified by her husband's plan. "Quiet! Do you want her to hear us?," Rod replied. Seeing as how arguing was absolutely pointless, Dorthy averted her eyes and said nothing.

A short time later, Rod and Dorthy drove into Nora's room. Nora instinctively looked up as she heard her parents approach. "Tomorrow, we're leaving for California," Rod said simply. Nora nodded, not bothering to speak. Dorthy tried to seem really enthusiastic about the trip. "It'll be so much fun! Just the three of us on a family vacation!" Nora just sighed, still not saying anything. Dorthy gave up trying to get Nora to talk and just turned around and drove out of the room, followed closely by Rod. _'Fun, mom says,'_ Nora thought wistfully, _'sure it'll be fun. Until we reach California and they dump me in some stupid institution.'_

The next day, while it was still dark, the Snowby family got in their aging station wagon and pulled out of their driveway. Karen sat in the back, listening to her parents talking about the places they planned to visit during the vacation. About an hour later, as the sun was rising, they stopped for breakfast, still discussing their plans for the trip. To Karen, the day passed too quickly. Everyone was talking and laughing, and her parents were nice to her for the first time since receiving the news about her condition. Karen should have known that it was too good to last. That evening, while they were traveling through a forest, her father steered the car onto an off-ramp and then a dirt road. After driving down the dirt road for about a mile, her father suddenly stopped and turned the car off. "Let's all get out for a minute," he said calmly. Karen, suspecting nothing, quickly got out and stretched her good leg. She took a minute to look around and enjoy the beauty of the forest. When she looked over at the car, she noticed her father pulling her backpack and a large duffel bag out of the car. "What are you doing?," she asked, a feeling of dread creeping up her spine. "We're leaving you here," her father replied coldly. "There's enough food in the duffel bag to last you a week or two, then you're on your own.," her mother said, no hint of emotion in her eyes. Karen stood there shocked as her parents got back into the station wagon. She watched in horror as her father turned the car around and drove away. _'Now what am I gonna do?,'_ she thought, forlornly.

While Karen was traveling with her family, Nora was slowly driving down the highway as her parents yelled instructions. "You're drifting too far to the right! Now you're too far left!" "Slow down!" "Can't you do anything right?" Finally, Rod had had enough. He guided his wife and daughter onto a dirt road in the middle of a nondescript forest. He told Nora to wait park and wait for them to come back and get her. Motioning for Dorthy to follow, he drove about twenty feet away from Nora. "Now's the time, Dorthy," Rod whispered. Dorthy sighed, knowing that arguing about the plan to abandon Nora would be pointless. "Let's be out of here," Rod muttered, turning away from his wife and towards the highway, his wife following silently.

Nora was confused when she heard her parents drive off without her. "Wait!," she cried, panicking. But if her parents heard her, they didn't respond. Nora spent the rest of the day parked where her parents left her, sobbing quietly. Eventually, she fell asleep, exhausted from crying. When she woke up hours later, she knew it must be nighttime, and her parents still had not returned. _'They've left me here to die!,' _she thought sadly. _'They didn't even bother to take me to the institution.'_ Nora spent the rest of the night sleeping fitfully and wondering if she was going to die out there alone.

Nora wasn't the only one who'd had a rough night. After her parents left her, Karen took stock of her food and water supply. As they said, she had enough food and water to last her a week or two, but that was it. She knew that she wouldn't live long on her own. She needed help. She sat down and leaned against a large tree, listening to the animals of the forest. The birds were making their soft night calls. The sun was going down. Karen pulled a granola bar out of her bag and ate it slowly, considering her limited options. She continued to sit there for awhile, until she finally fell asleep.

She woke up several times that night, jumping at small sounds. She knew that the odds of someone finding her here were very small, and that she'd very likely die alone out there. After awhile of deliberating, Karen decided to walk up the road towards the interstate as soon as the sun came up. Having settled on a plan of action, Karen settled into a restless and uneasy sleep.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Karen stood up stiffly. She started for the road when she noticed something strange. The air in front of her seemed to shimmer like a heat mirage. Karen, thinking it was just her imagination, shrugged and walked on, through the shimmering air and into another dimension.

Nora was awakened by a strange sound early in the morning. A kind of shuffling sound very different from the sound of tires on a gravel road. Nora froze in terror as whatever was making the sound came closer. _'Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!.' _Nora thought to herself, as she closed her eyes tightly and hoped that the monster that was making the shuffling sound would just pass her by without noticing her.

Karen was elated when she saw the car a short distance away. _'Yes! There's someone here who can help me!'_ Karen struggled forward, weak with relief. As she got closer, she noticed that the windows were tinted dark gray. _'Strange,'_ she thought,_ 'most cars have black tinted windows.'_ Seeing as how she was in a very bad situation, however; she didn't give much thought to the color of the window tint. Karen was almost to the car when she tripped on a stray rock and thoughtlessly reached out to the car to keep from falling.

Nora kept still, trying not to so much as breathe as she heard the unknown object approaching her from behind. The shuffling sound stopped just seconds before something soft and warm touched the back of her trunk. "AAAAAAAAHHH!" Nora screamed, jumping in terror. Behind her, she heard something scream followed shortly by the sound of the mysterious thing hitting the ground.

Karen was absolutely shocked when she touched the car, and it screamed and jumped! Karen screamed and jumped back too, falling backwards in the process. _'This is impossible! Cars can't scream and they can't jump! I must be hallucinating!' _Karen thought as she struggled to her feet.

Nora heard the creature struggling behind her. _'It's gonna get me! I just know it!,'_ she thought in a panic. "Please! I have nothing! Please don't hurt me!," Nora started begging. She didn't think that the creature would listen, but she had to try. The creature had gotten up again and was moving towards Nora's hood. Her sightless eyes darted all over in a futile effort to see the strange monster as she started hyperventilating in panic.

As she was getting to her feet, Karen heard the car start begging for mercy. _'How strange,'_ Karen thought as she started walking towards the front of the car, _'even if there _was_ such a thing as a talking car, and even if I meant it any harm, it would have nothing to fear. A car could easily kill me.' _Her confusion lasted until she reached the front fender of the car, and she got a good look at the front of the car. It had what was obviously a mouth on it's front fender, and eyes just behind the glass of it's windshield. _'Wow. A talking car. But, that still doesn't explain why the car is freaking out. It's like the car is terrified for some reason. Why is that?' _Karen realized the answer as soon as she looked into the car's eyes and noticed it's cloudy pupils. _'Not only is this car alive, it's also blind.'_ Karen felt a surge of pity for the car. _'I know full well what it's like to be different, handicapped. I bet this car's been through a lot.' _Karen took a slow deep breath and said calmly, "Calm down. Everything's fine. I won't hurt you."


	3. Introductions and Friendship

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any recognizable characters.

**Introductions and Friendship**

Nora closed her mouth and listened intently. _'Wow. This creature speaks English like me,' _she thought, her oil pressure slowly returning to normal. "Who are you? _what_ are you?," she asked the unknown being cautiously, still unsure of it's intention. She didn't know what the being was, and although it sounded like a teenage girl, Nora wasn't sure if the creature was male or female.

Karen was surprised by how quickly she was getting used to the idea of a talking car. _'Of course, I can _see_ the talking car in front of me,'_ she thought, looking at the still confused and scared car and feeling sorry for it. _'Her? Judging by the car's voice, I think it's a girl.' _Although the thought seemed crazy, she couldn't resist thinking about the car as a girl. "I'm a human, and my name's Karen Snowby," she said in a soothing voice, "What's your name?"

At first, Nora was too nervous and confused to speak. _'A human? What's that? And, how does it, she?, know what I am if I don't know what it/she is?'_ After a few moments, though, she said, "My name's Nora Lowrider."

"Nice to meet you, Nora," Karen said politely. "So," she continued, "how did you end up out here alone in the middle of nowhere?" Nora sighed sadly and said, "my parents were taking me to an institution for young cars in California, but I guess that they just decided to leave me here. It's because I'm blind! I never asked for this! Why do they think it's _my_ fault I was born blind!" Nora raised her voice several octaves as she spoke, until she was nearly shouting. Karen said nothing, letting the young car vent her frustration. Finally, when Nora was done ranting, Karen spoke: "I know just how you feel. My parents said we were going on a 'family vacation,' but instead, they dumped me out here to fend for myself." Nora's sightless eyes widened in shock at those last words. "Why would your parents just dump you like that?," she asked her new acquaintance, sounding stunned. This time, it was Karen's turn to sigh sadly. "When I was younger," Karen said softly, "I was really involved in a sport called 'ice skating.' I was considered one of the top competitors in my age group, and I dreamed of one day making it to the Olympics." Karen paused then, noticing the confused look on Nora's face.

"So, what are the Olympics?," Nora asked, curiously. "The Olympics," Karen answered, "are a series of competitions in various sports in which only the best athletes in the world get to compete. The sports are divided into two groups: summer and winter. Ice skating is a winter sport. So anyway, I was competing at the local, regional, and national levels for several years, hoping to be chosen to represent my country in the figure skating portion of the next Winter Olympics." Karen paused for several moments, and Nora quickly realized that the happy part of Karen's story was at an end. Finally, Karen continued: "six months ago, while competing in a high-ranking local competition, my right skate got caught in the ice, and I fell hard on my left knee. My knee was absolutely destroyed on impact. Although I've endured three surgeries, I'll never skate, or even walk normally, again."

Nora sat there quietly, feeling sorry for the crippled human. _'Wow. And for the longest time, I thought no one could understand how I feel. I thought I was all alone.' _"It must have been horrible when you learned that you couldn't fulfill your dreams," Nora said. "It was," Karen agreed, "but that wasn't the worst part. Before the accident, I had a great relationship with my parents. They went to every one of my meets, no matter how far away they were. We also went on a lot of vacations together. After the accident, my parents rejected me. Shortly after my third surgery, while I was still recovering and needed a lot of help, they went off on a two week trip by themselves, leaving me home alone. Sometimes, I think that my parents loved me only because I had a shot at fame. There are even times when I think they believe that I fell on purpose." Nora nodded, knowing full well where Karen was coming from. "As far back as I can remember, my parents pretty much hated me," Nora replied. "All because I was born blind. I think they assumed that I was faking or seeking attention at first. I do know that they didn't want handicapped offspring. They've told me that more times than I can count. So, we have four things in common: we're both handicapped, our parents hate us because we're handicapped, our parents abandoned us, and we're alone."

Karen nodded to herself. "You're right about the first three things, but we're not alone anymore. Now we have each other. We can help each other out, and together, we can find a place to live. Just the two of us, without anyone else to bother us." Nora was unsure about the idea at first, but the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. "Can we really find a place where we could live in peace?," Nora asked, hopefully. "I'm sure we could," Karen responded, "if we work together." Nora thought about Karen's plan for a few minutes. _'How can we work together in a way that would benefit both of us?' _It didn't take Nora long to come up with the answer to her question. "I suppose that the best way to do this would be for you to ride on my roof and guide me." Karen thought about Nora's proposal for a few moments. "Yes," she said at last, "that would probably be the best way. It would certainly be a lot easier then for me to walk alongside you. Don't panic, I'm gonna go climb on your trunk."

Nora held still while her new friend slowly walked around her. A short time later, she felt the human struggle onto her trunk. At first, she was surprised by how light Karen was, but she quickly got over it, thrilled to have found someone who understood how she felt and what she'd been through.

_'This might not be so bad,'_ Karen thought as she adjusted herself on Nora's trunk and roof. "Now," Karen said gently, "try moving forward slowly." Nora complied, nervous at first, but, as time went on, she grew more confident. "This is great!," Nora exclaimed, "now we can travel together." Karen smiled, as she guided her new friend down the road towards the highway.


	4. Journey, Arrival, and Surprise

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are not mine. They belong to Disney/Pixar.

**Journey, Arrival, and Surprise**

The hours seemed to pass quickly as they traveled down the highway at their own slow pace. Other, more inpatient cars flew past them. Karen and Nora just ignored their loud honks and angry yells, focusing on maintaining their steady speed. They stopped several times to rest, and each time Karen described the scenery to Nora. During one of their stops Nora said, "where are we going exactly?" Karen thought about Nora's question for several moments. "I really don't know," she said at last. "I hope we find a home where we'll both be accepted, wherever we end up," Nora replied wistfully. "So do I, Nora," Karen said. A short time later, they were back on the road, two outcasts looking for acceptance and a place to call home. Despite their slower pace, they covered about 100 miles that day. As the sun was going down, Nora said, "I'm gonna need to fill my gas tank." Just a few minutes later, Karen spotted a billboard. "You may be in luck, Nora," Karen said, "there's a billboard coming up. It says 'Radiator Springs 5 miles ahead' so it won't be long now." Nora yawned in response. "Are you ready to stop?," Karen asked, "the sun _is_ going down." "Sure," Nora said, "I'm getting pretty tired." At that, Karen carefully guided Nora off the road and helped her maneuver until she was parked right in front of the billboard and facing the highway. Nora and Karen settled down and made themselves comfortable and soon, both human and car were fast asleep.

_'Wow! What a day!'_ Sheriff thought as he slowly drove towards the Radiator Springs billboard, where he would spend the night. _'I could just MURDER Mater! I probably _would_ have too had Lightning and Sally not talked me out of it.'_ The day had been peaceful until early afternoon when Mater had bolted into town yelling "I had nothing ta do with it!" Everyone had been confused until they heard the unmistakable sound of a herd of tractors stampeding towards town. Everyone quickly realized what had happened: Mater had been tractor tipping _again_, and accidentally released the entire herd _AGAIN!_ It took the entire town the better part of _TWO HOURS_ to round up the herd and return them to their pasture. Just thinking about it still made Sheriff's oil pressure skyrocket. The worst part was, in Sheriff's opinion, when Lightning and Sally defended Mater. _'They should've let me at least chew his rear fender off!'_ Sheriff thought unhappily. The sun had almost set when Sheriff reached the billboard. He quickly positioned himself so he was facing the road, and settled in for a night of waiting for speeders. As he drifted off to sleep, Sheriff had no idea that on the other side of the billboard, slept two desperate, homeless outcasts searching for a home.

Early the next morning, Sheriff woke up. _'Time to head to Flo's and get some gas,'_ he thought, as he started his engine and drove towards the small town he called home, still blissfully unaware of the odd pair still sleeping nearby.

The sun was well up when Nora and Karen woke up and stretched. "How far away did you say the town is?," Nora asked. "Five miles, Nora," Karen replied, "do you think you can make it?" Nora nodded carefully. "I'm pretty sure I can," she replied, starting her engine and slowly pulling onto the road, under Karen's careful guidance.

Meanwhile in Radiator Springs...

Lighting McQueen pulled out of his cone at the Cozy Cone Hotel and looked up at the cloudless sky. _'What a very lovely day,'_ he thought as he slowly made his way to Flo's cafe, where most of the other residents were already gathered. The only ones who weren't there were Sheriff, Mater, and Doc. "Good-a morning, Lightning!," Luigi called when he saw McQueen. The others looked over when they heard Luigi and a chorus of hellos ensued. "Hello everyone!" Lightning called, full of good humor. "Where's Sheriff?" "I'm right here, Lightning," Sheriff replied gruffly, "and I'm still not happy about yesterday. Especially when you defended Mater." "Oh, come on, Sheriff!," Lightning said in a placating tone of voice, "one day, we'll all look back on the events of yesterday and laugh our fenders off!" At that, Lizzy said, "you should've _seen_ the look on Doc's grille when that one tractor that strayed into Ramone's shop while he was painting a customer came back out! I thought I was gonna _die_ laughing!" At that, Sally chimed in, trying hard not to laugh, "I didn't see Doc, but I saw the tractor! It looked like an _explosion_ in Ramone's shop!" Everyone, including Sheriff, started laughing. "I'm sorry I missed that!," Sheriff exclaimed, "did anyone get a picture?" Everyone said "no" all at once. "There's never a photographer around when you really need one," Lightning lamented. "That's alright," Sally said, "just go to the pasture and look for the tractor. You can't possibly miss it. It's the only tractor that's colored purple, red, blue, orange, yellow, pink..." Sally trailed off, laughing too hard to continue. "I-I'll have to do that.," laughed Sheriff. Everyone else agreed. "If you think _that's _funny, you should have been _in_ my shop!," Ramone said, laughing. "It was _priceless!_ Too bad there was no one around with a video camera!"

While the residents of Radiator Springs were finding humor in the previous day's event, Nora and Karen were traveling what seemed to them the longest five miles of their journey. "Are we _ever_ gonna get there?," Nora whined. "Doesn't seem like it," Karen moaned in response. Several long minutes later, Karen perked up. "Hey! We _are_ gonna make it! I can see the town up ahead!" "YAAAAYY!," Nora cheered, very relieved.

In Radiator Springs:

"Mornin' everyone!," Mater called as he pulled up alongside Lightning. Everyone returned his enthusiastic greeting. "What'cha all talkin' about?," Mater asked. "We were discussing yesterday's tractor incident," Sally said. Mater frowned. "I'm real sorry about that," he said remorsefully, looking at the pavement. "Don't worry about it, Mater," Sheriff said reassuringly, "we all forgive you." At that, Mater looked up and smiled. "Thanks!," he said. Just then something in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked over at the highway. "Hey, what's that?," he said, "that's sure a funny-looking car commin'." Everyone looked over where Mater was looking. "What _is_ that? Is that a _car_?," Lightning exclaimed. "It _is_ a car.," Sally said, "but I've never seen a car like that before." "Whoa, man," Filmore said. "You can sure say that again, hippie," Sarge replied. "Looks like that car got some really bad modifications," Lizzy said. Guido, Luigi, and Red were speechless as they watched the unusual-looking car approach.

"Almost there," Karen said soothingly. Nora was too run down to reply. Her gas tank was getting very low, and she was simply tired of traveling. Karen was equally run down and tired of traveling. At least they'd found a place where they might be able to stay for awhile. When they reached the outskirts, it was all Karen could do to keep from moaning in despair. The first buildings they passed were boarded up and falling apart. There didn't seem to be much in this town called "Radiator Springs" except a salvage yard, what looked like a racing museum, and a clinic. _'At least there's a gas station,'_ Karen thought forlornly. And, at the gas station, there was a motley group of cars, including a Porsche(!) and a race car. They were staring at her and Nora, surprise and confusion in their expressions. Karen told Nora to turn to the right, and when they were a few feet from the group of cars, she told her sightless companion to stop. "What's going on?," Nora asked, worriedly, having picked up on the tension in Karen's voice. "It's ok, Nora," Karen said calmly, "there's a group of cars right in front of us, watching our every moves." Nora fought the urge to back up. "Do they mean to hurt us?," she asked, panic in her voice. "I don't think so," Karen said, "they seem curious about us though."

_'They think we're gonna hurt them!,'_ Sally thought, horrified. _'And, why does that strange creature have to tell that young car, Nora?, what's going on?'_ Sally looked directly into the young car's eyes. _'Why are her eyes cloudy? What does that mean?'_ Judging by the murmurs of the cars around her, the others were wondering the same things she was. She heard Lightning tell someone he was going to get Doc. _'I'll try to keep these two calm until he gets back with Doc Hudson.'_ "It's ok," Sally said in a soothing tone of voice, "you're safe. No one here's going to hurt you."

Lightning quickly took stock of the situation. _'Ok. There's a young car carrying a strange soft-looking creature. The creature has to tell the car where to go. They seem to think that we're gonna hurt them. From their voices, I assume that both are girls. What's with the car's strange eyes? I should go get Doc. Maybe he'll know what the creature is, and why the car's eyes are cloudy.'_ He looked over at Sheriff, who looked even more confused than he was, and said, "I'm gonna go get Doc. I'll be back shortly." Without waiting for a reply, he took off towards Doc's clinic. As he left, he heard Sally reassure the odd pair.

Nora wasn't certain that whoever it was who said that they were safe was telling the truth. Because she couldn't see the car who just spoke, she couldn't tell if they were lying or not. "Do you think whoever spoke was lying, Karen?," she asked, nervously. Karen, who was harboring the same doubts, answered uncertainly. "I don't know, Nora. They _might_ be telling the truth." Karen's response didn't help with her doubts.

It was precisely times like these that made Sally glad she had her background. As a lawyer, she _had_ to have a way with words. If she didn't, she couldn't present much of an argument in court. Although she wasn't facing a tough judge or jury, she had to get her message and sincerity across just the same. "I promise you, we won't harm you. You can relax." The car and her rider still seemed unconvinced. _'I wish Lightning would get back here with Doc.,' _she thought.

Doc was in his clinic, pondering how to get Lightning in for his check-up. _'The way that kid puts it off, you'd think I was gonna torture him. I'll talk to him later today, although, I wonder what new and creative excuse he'll come up with this time.'_ He was preparing to leave the clinic and go over to Flo's, when the doors suddenly burst open. He quickly turned around and saw Lightning halfway through the doors, looking frantic. "Doc!," Lightning cried, "You need to come to Flo's now!" "What's wrong kid?," Doc asked, knowing that the young race car wouldn't have burst in like that unless it was an emergency. "A young car just came into town carrying a strange creature! You need to come check this out! We think there's something seriously wrong with the car!" Doc started for the doors. "Let's go kid!," he said in his most serious voice. Lightning needed no further instructions. He backed out of the clinic and headed towards Flo's, with Doc right behind him.

Karen and Nora both jumped when they heard the sound of engines approaching quickly. Karen turned and saw the race car coming back, with a blue classic car very close behind. She relayed the information to Nora, and watched carefully as the classic car scrutinized her and Nora.

Doc was astounded when he saw the creature on the young car. _'What is that? I've never seen anything like this before! Why is the young car carrying the creature?_ As he approached, he heard the young car say "Karen?" nervously. "It's alright, Nora," the creature replied, "the classic car seems to be very interested in me for some reason. If need be, I'll guide you out of here quickly." Doc noticed that the young car relaxed when the creature spoke. He could tell by their voices that they were both young girls. _'That still doesn't tell me why this young car is carrying the creature around. In fact, it raises a new question: why is this young car so dependent on the creature she carries?'_ As he was coming around to look at the grille of the young car, he noticed Sally looking relieved.

Sally was very relieved when she saw Lightning returning with Doc. _'Maybe now we'll get some answers,' _She looked over at Doc, who was looking at the creature curiously. _'He doesn't seem to know what this creature is either.'_ She wanted to ask him about the young car's strange eyes, but he was too busy observing the creature as it, she?, talked to the car. When she saw Doc coming around to the front of the car, and made eye contact with him, she decided to ask a question she'd been dying to know the answer to. "Doc, what's up with this car's eyes?"

When Sally asked about the young car's eyes, Doc became very concerned. _'Her eyes? There shouldn't be anything wrong with her eyes._' When Doc reached the front of the car, he looked right into her eyes first. _'It can't be!'_ With a shocked gasp, Doc backed up a few inches. His actions alarmed the other cars. "What's wrong Doc?," Lightning cried. "I don't believe it!," Doc said incredulously, "this poor young car is blind!"


	5. Welcome, Introductions, and Invitations

**Disclaimer:** Disney/Pixar owns all recognizable characters.

**Welcome, Introductions, and Invitations**

Doc's statement got everyone talking immediately. "Blind? Oh, you poor car, you!," Sally cried, horrified by Doc's assessment. "That certainly explains a few things," Sarge said simply. Guido said something in Italian. "He-a said he feels very sorry for you," Luigi explained, "and so-a do I." Filmore, Ramone, Flo, Sheriff, Lizzy, and Red voiced their sympathy for the young sedan. Lightning looked at the odd pair for a moment. It seemed to him that they were too young to be out by themselves. "So, where are your parents?," Lightning asked. Only after Lightning inquired about their parents did the other residents realize that something was up. _'Good question,'_ Sally thought, _'why are they out here alone? Neither of them look like they're old enough to be on their own.'_

Nora and Karen both recoiled at the question. _'How are we going to answer that question?'_ Nora thought, starting to panic. Karen took a deep breath and said, "Our parents aren't here. We're on our own."

Her words caused everyone to stare at the two girls in shock. Nobody asked any more questions, though. The sadness in Karen's voice and the expressions both girls wore was enough for everyone to realize that they didn't want to talk about why they were alone. "It's alright," Sally said reassuringly, "you don't have to talk about it right now. By the way, welcome to Radiator Springs."

"Thank you," Karen said. She looked around at the small town. _'You know, this place isn't as bad as I first thought it would be. I wouldn't mind staying here for awhile.'_ "This place isn't too bad. It seems like a nice place to live," Karen stated. "It is a nice town, I really like living here," the red race car said. "My name's Lightning McQueen, and this," he said, gesturing to the Porsche, "is my girlfriend Sally." Sally smiled. "Hello," she said. "Hello," Nora and Karen answered in unison.

Lightning introduced the other residents of Radiator Springs. After he said their names, they each said hello. Karen described each car as they were introduced. After Lightning finished with the introductions, Nora said, "My name's Nora, and this is my friend, Karen. She's a human."

At that, everyone relaxed, glad to know the creature's name and what she was. "So, what brings you here?," Sheriff asked. This time, it was Karen who replied. "We're looking for a place to call home," she said sadly. _'Poor kids,' _Doc thought to himself, _'out here all alone, with no one to take care of them. I don't know about Karen, but I _do_ know that Nora can't take care of herself. Although it's a very good bet that Karen is equally helpless. I cannot let these two leave town when they don't have anywhere else to go.'_ "Why don't you two stay with me for awhile?," Doc asked. "I'd be happy to take you two in, and take care of you."

Karen and Nora were both thrilled with the idea of having a place to call home. "Sure! We'd love to!," they both said in unison. "Great!," Flo said with enthusiasm, "but for now, why don't both of you come to my cafe. I'm sure Nora's tank must be getting pretty low." Nora nodded, and, with Karen guiding her, pulled up next to a gas pump. While the other Radiator Springs residents pulled into the cafe, Karen gingerly climbed down off of Nora, and limped around to her side. Everyone watched as she painfully made her way over to Nora's right front quarter panel, and slowly sat down in an awkward position. "Wow," Lightning said, looking at the odd pair, "you two look like you've both been through a lot."

Karen and Nora nodded in unison. "We have," Nora said. "More than you'll ever know," Karen added. Sally looked at them both for a moment before saying, "you should tell us about what happened to you. Especially since you'll both be staying here, at least for awhile." After thinking it over, both Karen and Nora nodded. "Because you are going to let us stay here," Karen said, "it's only fair that we share our stories with you. But," she continued, "you should be warned that our stories are not happy ones." Everyone nodded, having already figured that these kids had endured some form of hardship at some point in their lives.

With that said, Nora and Karen settled in and prepared to tell their stories.


End file.
